"We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got— that's what we're depending on." -Psalm 33:20 (The Message)

Monday, August 13, 2012

Life at the Orphanage--A Guest Post

Let me introduce you to Ashley. Ashley is the beautiful (inside and out) young Canadian woman who has been to Haiti and Nora's orphanage 3 times now in the last few years. She has currently been at the orphanage for this past month with another friend of hers caring and loving on Nora as well as all the other 30 babes at the orphanage where Nora lives as well as the newly opened second orphanage. Ashley is beyond a mission worker to me...she is a friend God has blessed me with. If you saw our Skype call on the last post (here) you will recognize Ashley as the one holding Nora in the video and photos. She is quite literally a God-send to us Mama's waiting to have our babies in our arms.I can not explain how thankful I am for not only Ashley's care of Nora, but even more so for her heart. I recently ran across a post she put on her facebook page to thank all of her supporters who helped her get to Haiti for this last month with supplies in hand. I could not help but ask her for permission to post it here. Her words are an open window into the heart of the every day life of the orphanage as well as the heart God has given her to help. I will let her words speak for themselves...they are priceless.

Original fb post from Ashley....

I just wanted to say a great big, love-filled
thank you to everyone who helped contribute to getting me to Haiti.
These trips are not cheap, and there simply is no way that I would be
able to do them without all of your support. I'm the one who gets to go
have all the fun loving on these kids, but it's because of all you
angels that the magic happens.

Since I have been in Haiti, we have had around
15 new children dropped off at the orphanage. These children all have
at least one parent... they are not orphans, so you can just imagine
their extreme grief, anger, confusion, and sadness at being left behind
in a completely unfamiliar place. We really came at the perfect time
because the first month that the kids are at the O is the hardest by
far. The nannies at the O have so many responsibilities; simply loving
on the children is often overlooked. When Audra and I are there, we are
with the children 24/7, which means we help them get through all the
good, the bad, and the ugly (not to mention, stinky!).

When I
leave Haiti in a little over a week, my heart will be overflowing with
all the amazing memories that I will have have. But it will also be
filled with the memories that although I wish I could forget, are the
reason why I have been called to be here. During our first week, we had
one boy dropped off who screamed all afternoon for his papa to come
back for him. Anything that we did that hinted of him staying at the O
permanently, he absolutely refused. As we tried to take off his old
clothes when we offered him new ones, he explained, "my papa is coming
back for me and he will not be happy that you took my clothes." It
broke my heart that he really had no idea that his papa was never coming
back for him. We had twins who were dropped off that we physically had
to restrain when their mama walked away. They cried so hard that their
entire little bodies shook until they finally fell asleep. We had a
baby boy, around four months, who almost choked on his full body sobs
when his mama left him behind. I resent days where we have new children
dropped off, my throat swells and my heart plummets as I wrap my arms
around the little ones who hate me for being part of their terrible
predicament. But I am grateful, oh so very grateful that I am there
because even though they hate me at that moment, I will be a part of
their incredible journey to an amazing new life. All of my babies are
adopted, and I sincerely believe that their first day at the O is the
absolute hardest step for them out of their entire journey. By having a
shoulder to cry on and a reassuring voice to tell them that it's going
to be okay (even though it's coming from a blanc speaking an unfamiliar
language), makes this absolutely terrible day for them a little more
bearable. Or at least that is what I tell myself as they bite, kick,
hit, and scream at me. Another important thing to realize is that life
at the O doesn't stop when these children come to us. The nannies still
have diapers to clean and meals to cook, so if we aren't there as
punching bags then the other children take the hit. We had a baby who
ended up with a bloody foot because a five year old bite her on his
second day at the O. The five-year old is not a bad kid, but we were at
church and he had no one else to help him work out his feelings.

The joy of being at the O for extended periods of time is seeing how
these children change and begin to accept their new life. Seeing these
new children transition is beyond words! This last week has been
harmonious. The little boy who bit the baby always gives me a kiss as
he walks by. The twins are having oodles of fun and giggles with the
other children. Audra and I let out a whoop of joy when the boy (who
spent his first day screaming for his papa) finally let us hold him. Up
until yesterday, he would punch us repeatedly every time we tried to
touch him. All the new children call us by our name instead of "blanc!"
We are able to do group activities, like story time and singing, for
the first time in history of the O. The children do not fight as badly
to get our attention because they know that they will all eventually get
their turn at some one-on-one that day. My throat is not sore at the
end of the day from having to yell, "pas frappez, pas frappaz, pas
frapez!" all. day. long.

Another big part of this trip has
been communicating with the families back in America and Canada who will
be adopting these children. Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I
want a big multicultural family of my own some day. This has probably
stemmed from the fact that I grew up with my mom running a daycare in
my home. I have always been surrounded by children, and I love it.
However, this idea of adopting a bunch of children from throughout the
world has been built on quite a bit of ignorance. Working at the O has
shown me just how unimaginably hard adopting can be. When we had a baby
pass away of TB last fall, all the parents of the children at the O had
no idea if their own children were okay. I was not yet in contact with
them and the O's director was crazy busy with a billion other things.
This time around I have thoroughly enjoyed skyping, sending updates, and
taking pictures for all the parents anxiously awaiting the glorious day
that they will be able to take their precious ones home. Oh the joys of
technology! It also eases a great strain off the O's director by
having someone there to help her with all the paperwork that these
adoptions entail. Especially when you consider that it is all in
English, a language she has only been fluent in for the last five years.

So thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hundreds
(yes hundreds!) of people are responsible for changing these little
one's lives... through giving me your bottles, buying a bracelet,
placing a bid at out silent auction, or purchasing a chocolate bar,
every single dollar really does help. And your generosity has not been
singularly monetary, thanks for helping me gather up 200 pounds of
formula, diapers, t-shirts, vitamins, and peanut butter. We have
significantly filled the O's supply closet for months to come. You know
who you are, thank you for your selflessness and your willingness to
help make a difference. A small difference, but a significant
difference nevertheless. ♥ I love you all.

About Me

I'm just an ordinary, every-day woman living with an extraordinary, living and active God in my heart. His love, joy, peace, and energy fill me to the brim. My relationships and life are an overflow of those miraculous blessings.